The musings of a totally purple obsessed crafter!!!! You name it, if it's purple I WANT IT!!! I'm a rubber stamping card maker who dabbles with making ATC's, scrap booking and more recently art journaling and canvases! I love to distress and I love to make a mess!!! I'm also pretty obsessed with Christmas and make a lot of cards for the occasion. Check out my blog below and leave a comment if you like what you see ....... thanks for stopping by

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

If you have been stopping by lately you will have realised that Mr Mojo and I aren't really friends right now ... can't remember trashing so many pieces in an absolute age ..... I found myself trawling facebook in the hope of bump starting my mojo. This proved quite successful although it is with regret that I own up that I've been unable to find the card I CASe'd again, in order that I might provide a link. Should you be one of my followers and recognise your inspiration then please leave me a comment and I will be more than happy to amend my post with a link to your FB page or blog. Anyhoo, all this was by way of an explanation of why you are seeing a post from me on a day I don't normally post. I'm not sure whether this is indicative that Mr Mojo and I are once more friends but ... I'm cautiously optimistic.

My card

And a closer view in order that you might see two of the three tiny gemstones!

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

The inside of my card and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

White C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope

Two pieces of white card cut to 14.3 x 10cm and 13.8 x 9.5cm

One piece of orange card cut to 14.3 x 10cm

Using a TCW splatter stencil and two Tim Holtz mini blenders with foam pads I applied Distress Inks in picked raspberry and carved pumpkin

Monday, 30 January 2017

Hope you've had a tremendous weekend. We were at a birthday party on Saturday - had thought it was just drinks and nibbles and then someone piped up with "you WILL stay for dinner, won't you?" ... we sent out for Chinese! On Sunday we were in Gloucester dining with friends - so, yes, we had a fab weekend. Not a lot of crafting though.

I DID set off with the best of intentions on Sunday, to break the seal on some new stash and to make an anniversary card which would fit a challenge set by my pal, Cherry .....ever have one of those days when you should really step away from the ToC (that's Table of Craftiness should you be unfamiliar). Have to say, it's been a while since I trashed the card, the envelope and two co-ordinated card panels but, frankly, when I stepped back and looked at the project I simply thought I didn't dislike anyone I send anniversary cards to QUITE that much! and tossed the lot.

However, a day without crafting's not a good day so .... I stopped for lunch and then had another go as I really needed to crack on and wrap hubby's birthday gift.

Saturday, 28 January 2017

After years of faffing I have finally acquired my very own Raskog!!! No, honestly, I first set eyes on one at a scrap booking retreat in Cirencester when I went along to meet up with a fellow craftbubbler (Jacky). One of the other attendees had this fab cart of craftiness and I was hooked! Had NOWHERE to put one at the time but .... a plan was plainly hatched and yesterday came to fruition! Blimey, talk about patience!

Friday, 27 January 2017

Morning all,Given that the weekend starts today, I hope you all have something nice to look forward to.Been crafting my little socks off, in a mixed media kind of way but, sadly, can't share this with you today as it's for a special project.However, I DO have a little something I CAN share with you ..

My card

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

The inside of my card and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

White C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope

Two pieces of white card, cut to 14.3 x 10cm and 13.8 x 9.5cm

One piece of navy card cut to 14.3 x 10cm

Penny Black image stamped using Versamark ink and sprinkled with silver dazzle embossing powder before heat setting. For the inside and envelope I used Delicata silver ink instead of heat embossing

See D's sentiment stamped using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink

For the insert I stamped the PSX sentiment using Ranger Archival cobalt blue ink

Wednesday, 25 January 2017

On Monday I nipped to Swindon to meet up with a crafting pal, we met at a craft store and Val made us most welcome ... she also made us tea AND proffered biskwits which, combined with the joy of craft shopping had us both as happy as the proverbial!!! Anyhoo, after nattering over a cuppa and some shopping we settled up on our purchases .....

Next we headed off to a local hostelry for lunch. I LOVE satnag ... normally but .. there I was, stopped at lights and satnag was telling me to go straight on ... all too late I spotted the destination, a right turn at these lights but, sadly, no way I could get across without upsetting someone ... not least of all Debbie who was following in her own car! Onwards to the next lights for a U turn in convoy! Still, it was worth it as lunch was very nice and served by the lovely staff too, we'll stop by again when in the area.

Sunday, 22 January 2017

Another lazy Sunday here at the Purple Palace. I normally like to enter Di's snippets challenge and today is no different. Di encourages us all to use up those pesky little snippets we card makers (in fact, crafters in general) like to keep "just in case" ... Recently, Di's made a few changes to her challenges, initially limiting to just one entry per person and now the challenge has gone fortnightly - having built up a goodly number of regulars she was struggling to find time to visit everyone - totally understandable - just glad she didn't choose to close the challenge. Is it me or have you all noticed a rather large number of challenges closing their doors? No idea why - you? I still craft most days, post 3 or 4 times each week and try to enter challenges with my makes, it keeps me on my toes and prepared to try new things ...... kind of the definition of a challenge, right? I suppose it's probably all down to time, we all lead such busy lives these days, always sad to see it though, like when you read about a bricks and mortar craft store closing too.

Oh My, that got away from me and a teeny bit maudlin, time to brighten things up ..... what better than some COLOUR!

My card - this is SUCH a fun image that I can't IMAGINE why it's take me so long to ink him up!

The front and back of my card and front of my envelope

The inside of my card and reverse of my envelope

Materials used:

White C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope

Two pieces of white card cut to 14.3 x 10cm and 13.8 x 9.5cm

One piece of black card cut to 14.3 x 10cm

Snippets of card in white, black, yellow and lilac (to match his sweater)

Katzelkraft "Zebra" from the set entitled "Les Jungles", stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink ... though some say it looks more like a hyena and I see where they're coming from .. the ears are wrong for a hyena and the stripes for a zebra so perhaps it's a zebryena

For the card I made for yesterday's post I used Distress Ink in twisted citron applied with a Tim Holtz mini blender ... without re-inking I used the blending tool and what residual colour there was to just apply a tint to the background behind the "Zebryena"! I used my fingers as a mask so there is (if you look closely) a gap immediately around the critter but I really only wanted a light swathe of colour .....

The above card, along with the card I made yesterday came about because I bought some new colouring pencils and wanted to get some practice in before asking for more expensive ones for my birthday later in the year .... here's my snippet of work - this is a piece of about 75% of an A4, as you can see, I already used a segment for an ATC at the end of last week and I have (potentially) four cards or ATC's from this piece below .. I wasted a chunk whilst sorting through my marvy le plumes to see how many worked - had to throw a few out because they'd dried up but I HAVE had them for years (and years - they were about the first colouring medium I bought when I started crafting) .... I also unearthed more NBUS in the form of some metallic Berol Verithik woodless pencils which I really MUST use, I started to play with them .. the blue of the umbrella below

Saturday, 21 January 2017

How's your weekend coming along? Well, I hope. First weekend in ages I've felt tip top and plan on making the most of it. Got two funerals to attend next week so need to be as relaxed as possible beforehand. I don't know about you but I find them tremendously stressful. One is a family member and the other a parent of a dear friend. Always so sad.

Anyway, on to brighter topics .... I've had the wonderful and quirky Katzelkraft set "Les Jungles" for a couple of weeks now and had previously only inked the elephant and zen monkey so, decided it was time to get some of the NBUS (in the form of the other images) inky .. I SOOO could NOT resist this giraffe!

My card

And a closer view on my image - doesn't the water spray look a little like clouds?

The front and back of my card and reverse of my envelope

The inside of my card and front of my card

Materials used:

White C6, 250gsm, card and matching sized envelope

Two pieces of white card cut to 14.3 x 10cm and 13.8 x 9.5cm

One piece of black card cut to 14.3 x 10cm

Snippets of card in: white, bronze and black for image panel and matting

Katzelkraft "Les Jungles" giraffe image stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink, including on to a post it which I fussy cut out to use for masking

Crayola coloured pencils: sand, harvest gold, light brown and brown and blended with sansodor - whilst it says low odour .... if you working up close you might want to crack a window open!

Once the image was coloured I positioned my mask before blending Distress Ink in twisted citron over the remainder of the white panel.

I flicked water over the twisted citron panel, allowing to develop for a few moments before mopping with paper towel

Whilst mask in place I sprayed Crafters Companion spray and shine, to protect the Distress Ink in transit!

Using a Faber Castell "S" thickness pitt pen I doodled some grass to "ground"my image and then matted on to bronze and then black card, cutting to a 1.6mm border on both layers

I used narrow lime satin ribbon to tie around my white card panel and tie in an off centre knot to accommodate the image panel

I'm a floating list manager

About Me

I'm married to an avid radio control model plane enthusiast - every man should have a hobby, especially if it leaves me free to craft without GUILT!!!! We are both free to indulge our hobbies and mine is rubber stamping. Mostly I make cards and ATC's though I've been gradually getting more and more in to mixed media, art journalling and scrap booking!. I'll have a go at most crafts . . . some even more than once!!!

Housekeeping!

Please be advised that all photographs and craft projects (unless otherwise credited) are the copyright property of this particular Purple Princess and may not be reproduced without permission, though I'm happy for you to use my work as inspiration - and would ask that you credit me, with a link to my blog if you are simply CASe-ing my work.